The rumors are true: Millennials are entitled. We expect high paying jobs after graduation. We have no patience for slow browsers and unresponsive apps.  We think everything we tweet deserves to go viral.

And in true Millennial fashion, we’ll blame this problem on someone else: it’s not our fault we’re entitled.

It sounds like a satire, admitting the problem and then blaming someone else for its creation. However, almost every instance of our entitlement stems from social conditioning, or “the sociological process of training individuals in a society to respond in a manner generally approved by the society in general and peer groups within society,” according to Dictionary.com.

In short, we are all by-products of the culture we live in.

About a week ago, The New York Times ran an article that corroborates this dynamic. The article reported that Verizon plans to buy Intel Media Division to make TV accessible to multiple platforms wherever you are, as long as you have an Internet connection.

In the article, Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam said the deal would “help Verizon bring next-generation video services to audiences who increasingly expect to view content when, where and how they want it.”

“Expect” sounds like a pretty entitled word to me. Our generation grew up in and continues to experience a time where demand is high, and supply bends over backwards to meet it. The world is changing for us, and we don’t expect anything less.

But criticism of Millennials extends beyond universal TV, particularly to employment.

Millennials expect to be hired right after college. After years of intense studying and compiling intimidating debt, we believe that we deserve well-paying jobs with opportunities for promotion.

And why wouldn’t we? Growing up, the instilled belief was that hard work and a college degree equals success later on. We could be anything we wanted, as long as we put in the time.

The reality has turned out a little different. Every parent told their kid the same thing, and now a lot of job applicants are just as qualified as the next.

But a surplus of intelligent, hard-working individuals isn’t a bad thing. With the limited space in the job market, our generation has turned to making our own opportunities, paving the way to the future with startups and new technology.

To an older generation who didn’t have the Internet, our “need” for iPhones and Twitter might come across as spoiled and entitled. What isn’t apparent to the older generation, however, is that new technology and innovations are an integral part of Generation Y.

We feel entitled to a smartphone or tablet because that’s where we manage our startup, communicate with potential employers, and schedule upcoming events. Although iPhones aren’t necessary for survival, for our generation they serve as a portal to cross-cultural collaboration and unlimited information.

Growing up, our teachers, parents, and relatives encouraged us to achieve and never settle for less. The result is a generation who works hard and expects results. There’s that word again, “expects.” The Gen Y expects to get what they work for, be it a promotion, a job, or a gold iPhone. We’re entitled. But entitlement, especially when paired with ambition, creativity and dedication, isn’t so bad after all.

Kate Beckman is a freshman magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at kebeckma@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @Kate_Beckman.

 

 

Published on January 28, 2014 at 2:09 am